Polaha told TVLine: "We didn't know how Gemma was going to make an exit from the show, but we did know that she would be leaving at some point. All of us on set - including Tara - didn't know if [the writers] would leave [the story] open-ended so that she could come back. So, when they shot her in the face it was pretty shocking."

He added that his character, Gemma's adulterous husband Henry, will be filled with "a pretty huge level of guilt and remorse" following her demise.

"Everything seemed so innocent back at the start of the series," he said. "No-one was really getting hurt and it was just one of those things, you know? People have affairs.

"But it all got so dark so quickly, and when you see him again in the first episode back, he'll definitely want nothing to do with Siobhan (Sarah Michelle Gellar)."

Polaha also confirmed that a future episode of Ringer will introduce Henry's wealthy father-in-law Tim Arbogast.

"Gregory Harrison, who plays my father-in-law, is such a great actor and was awesome to work with," he said. "I definitely think they'll bring him back again."

Ringer will return to The CW on January 10. The show airs on Sky Living in the UK.